Israel: a divided, hesitant EU moves to halt trade with West Bank settlements

Brussels – Sanctions against Israel: the day of reckoning has arrived for the EU. But when it comes to the nature of that reckoning, the European Union of Member States continues to hesitate and act in a disorganised manner. The foreign ministers of the 27 member states are meeting in Brussels to discuss, among other things, the Middle East crisis and the response to Israel’s actions towards the Palestinian population. The European Commission is bringing to the table “the document on the options” to be considered, as announced by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who, however, remains non-committal on the outcome of the discussion: “Let’s see how the discussion unfolds. Whether Member States are genuinely prepared to adopt one of these measures, and whether the Commission will need to provide more concrete guidance.”

The most likely scenario is a trade ban on products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, an option that appears to be gaining widespread support. “Appears” is the key, as Belgium has already made it clear that the EU Commission’s proposal is unacceptable. “The European Commission has finally put forward a few options in just two pages, but this is still far from sufficient to be a credible geopolitical player,” criticised the Belgian Foreign Minister, Maxime Prevot, on his arrival at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. For this reason, “we are calling for concrete proposals on which to base our position, on which Member States will vote, and which can be presented swiftly to the Foreign Affairs Council.”

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Belgium wants trade-related measures whose adoption requires a qualified majority, unlike sanctions. This position is shared by the Netherlands: a ban on imports of agricultural and non-agricultural goods produced in the settlements “from our point of view, these are trade measures, and therefore require a qualified majority,” states the Dutch Foreign Minister, Tom Berendsen, bluntly. However, Germany’s response was immediate and firm: “The Commission itself has stated that unanimity is required and we share this position,” declared Berlin’s Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul. Spain, too, joined Belgium and the Netherlands in calling for the approval of at least measures of this nature: “We must ban trade with Israeli settlements,” said the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares.

However, these are options that do not target Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and in particular the Minister for National Security, Ben Gvir, as called for by other member states, including Italy. Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister, Xavier Better, was visibly irritated: “Will we manage to reach an agreement before the summer holidays to put pressure on Israel and the occupied territories?” he asked, in open disagreement with his European partners. “I’m pleased that Kaja Kallas now at least has a few options on the table. I have a feeling that today they’ll find another excuse not to vote.” He then went a step further, pointing out that parliamentary elections are due to take place in Israel on 27 October, followed by the appointment of a new government: “Must we really wait for a change of government before deciding on trade with the illegal settlements in the West Bank? That would be shameful.”

Italy pushes back

Italy tempers the ambitions of Luxembourg and the states seeking swift progress. “We are examining the proposal, and we’ll see what it looks like,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said vaguely, before ruling out the idea of a qualified‑majority vote. The measure targeting settlers and settlements, he argued, “should be approved unanimously, since this is a political choice, not a commercial one.” In any case, “we will examine the proposals in detail and assess them.” As for Italy’s position, “we are not prejudicially opposed, but I don’t know whether a decision can be taken before the elections in Israel.”